LammyLit Memorial Award

February 26, 2004
GenderTalk Radio

GenderTalk announces “LammyLit Memorial” Award

[Cambridge, MA]GenderTalk Radio, the most popular and widely respected radio program on transgender issues, is pleased and proud to announce a new award created in the spirit of the Lambda Literary Foundation Awards nominations. These formerly-respected LLF awards are given, according to Executive Director Jim Marks, to persons where “He doesn’t get it on some fundamental levels but he genuinely thinks he does” (see Lambda’s announcement).This week’s GenderTalk LammyLit Memorial award goes to Fred Phelps, who thinks he’s doing God’s work, but on some level, just doesn’t get it. Fred is well known to GLBT persons across the United States for his “God Hates Fags” website and his virulently homophobic demonstrations against GLBT persons. Says GenderTalk founder and co-host Nancy Nangeroni, “We’ve been very sensitive about the depth of feeling on this matter.”

The GenderTalk award is selected by an impartial committee of straight white millionaires who are paid well for doing whatever makes them the most money. While personally unfamiliar with Phelps or Gay issues, they nonetheless believe they have made the right choice.

With the announcement of this award, it is expected that grateful Gay and Lesbian persons will shower the GenderTalk staff with money and treat them to expensive dinners at Hyatt Hotels.

The GTRLLM Award was inspired by the finalist selection of J. Michael Bailey’s “The Man Who Would Be Queen” for a Lambda Literary Foundation award. Despite the book’s having been soundly critiqued by leading transgender academics and activists, and the ongoing investigation of its author for unethical research methods, the nominating committee bravely stood its ground in defending freedom of speech for pathologizing transphobes. Meanwhile, leading trans activists called his book “the most transphobic publication in over 30 years”.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization unaffiliated with any transgender organization or cause, has issued an “Intelligence Report” which likens Bailey’s work to “racist science” and reveals connections between neo-eugenics fans of the Human Biodiversity Institute (HBI) and the book’s author.

Despite all this and a substantial outcry of protest of the book’s nomination (also here), Lambda Lit’s nominations committee has seen fit to affirm Bailey’s nomination, because, as director Marks writes, “He doesn’t get it on some fundamental levels but he genuinely thinks he does”. Such profound wisdom led directly to the creation of this GenderTalk award (and the election of George W. Bush).

All persons interested in congratulating the members of Lambda Lit’s finalist selection committee for their brilliant work in inspiring this award can find their contact information here. Those wishing to congratulate LLF’s executive director Jim Marks for his brilliance of vision and fairness of judgement can email him at llf@lambdalit.org.